Those with dacron graft - Can you feel it?

[Chrisandgary]

Hi All! Gary is doing well - tomorrow is 5 weeks since his 3rd OHS - this time for an aortic aneurysm. Those who have had this - and have the dacron graft - can you feel it? When Gary puts his arms over his head he can feel it grinding against the top of his sternum. I am thinking once he heals and the scar tissue forms it wont be so noticable. Any thoughts?
He is doing well - still in the recliner - too afraid to try to get himself out of bed yet. He read the posts of the various methods to do so and remembers holding onto his chest and trying to roll off.- He remembers very clearly and said he wasn't ready for that yet!
He also has alot of back and shoulder pain - he is off the percosests for a week now - took tylenol for a few days - says nothing helps so why bother. I wish I could do something to take the edge off - he will not let me give him a massage (he never really liked a massage anyway) I did get the heating pad out for him and it helped a little. He doesnt want to sit still for long though.
Thank you all! I cant believe tomorrow is 5 weeks that he climbed the mountain HOOOORAYYYY and thank you all for getting us through it!
Christine

 

[gadgetman]

Christine,

Someone will be along in a while to hopefully answer the dacron graft question.

Tell Gary there is no need to rush getting back in bed. As long as he is able to get comfortable in the recliner thats the best place for him.

Pain in the shoulders and back comes with the territory. Things will get better soon. I had my best luck taking Tylenol on a 4 hour window. I even kept a notebook of when I took my last dose. I quickly found if I waited until I hurt again, it was usually too late. As most have said here, massages are the best thing for the soreness in the back and shoulders. I would sometimes have to slip a Percocet in the mix to help out.

Good luck on his continuing recovery.

May God Bless,

Danny

 

[Mary]

Although I agree that back and shoulder pain comes with the territory, I would make sure that it is mentioned to the surgeon before he releases him from his care.

OHS surgery was the cause of my left shoulder becoming "frozen". I knew something was wrong at 5 weeks when I was having difficulty moving it, but I thought it was just par for the course. I'm now undergoing physical therapy for it, and the pain is much more severe than what I experienced post op. Don't assume that the pain he is experiencing is normal; be prepared to have it looked into if need be.

By the way, a member recently posted that the shoulder discomfort she has felt for the past eight years has now been attributed to one shoulder blade being higher than the other; the sternum wires were just a little bit off when they rewired her after surgery.
Mary

 

[901]

I have a graft and can't feel anything that would tell me it's there. I'm 13 weeks out tomorrow and still have tenderness/numbness in the front of my right shoulder near where the heart/lung machine was attached. I can also hear the valves clicking away all the time ( I expect that this is a good thing as opposed to not hearing anything).

 

[Nan]

Shoulder and back pain was probably some of the worst with my OHS. The surgeon suggested moist heat packs, and that did help some.

I have a small dacron patch where they enlarged my aortic root and cannot feel it at all.

Could Gary be feeling the wires that are holding the sternum together?

Hope it stops bothering him soon.

 

[Ross]

Nope, you can't feel it. There are no nerves in it! Something may be rubbing, but it's not the graft that he feels.

 

[Teacher]

I can't feel my graft at all and didn't immediately post-op either. Stay ahead of your pain. Don't wait until you ache to take something. I took pain medication every 3-4 hours.

 

[Foxxy74]

I can't feel the graft either, wouldnt even know it was their apart from the pretty image it forms on the CT Scans now.

My worst thing is the wires used to hold the sternum back together, if I bump the right spot on the sternum, I certainly know all about it real quick.

Doctors have said that they can be removed down the track but I really dont know if I want anyone playing around in their again :S.

Take Care.

Chris

 

[JohnnyV_46]

Mine will be 6 weeks this friday. I have Dacron aortic repair and a Cow valve...I can't feel it..Sorry to hear about the pain...Sleeping is my big thing too...I slept on the sofa for about a week,It was lower to the floor and I could swing my legs over and they sorta helped pull me up.

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi,

I am 5 1/2 yrs post op... and have never had an issue with the dacrom graft.
I have never had an issue with any pain from it, and have never felt it.

I hope Gary is on the fast road to recovery, and that this is only a temporary issue until his sternum heals.

Rob

 

[Ambience]

When I take a deep breath I can feel thumping in my chest in tune with my heart, but beyond that I've nver felt anything odd with the work that was done. Then again I have no idea if dacron was the same as what they did for me, all I know is they told me I have kevlar in me.

 

[CCRN]

dacron graft

dacron graft

I get the same thing with the thumping deep breath. Wonder if your situation has anything to do with the sternum healing process? Five weeks out isn't much. You'll be surprised the difference the next two weeks can make.

In the back pain I highly recommend massage. It has done wonders for me and it's pretty amazing how much it helps.

 

[KathyH]

I don't feel anything from my dacron graft. Since Gary has had 3 OHS, maybe it is something with the wiring of his sternum. I hope he feels better soon and I hope this is his last OHS. I am sure 3 times is more than enoough for him.
Kathy H